Storm moves into 1st place in NRL with win over Newcastle

SYDNEY (AP) — Melbourne Storm moved level with Cronulla on points and into first place on score differential in the National Rugby League with a 20-16 win over Newcastle on Sunday, handing the Knights their 11th loss in a row.

Fijians Marika Koroibete and Suliasi Vunivalu crossed for three of Melbourne's four tries and made some big defensive plays on several occasions to lead the Storm to a 10th win in 11 games.

Cronulla will attempt to retake first place on Monday when the Sharks play the Sydney Roosters.

In the other match Sunday, Penrith beat Parramatta 22-18, moving the Panthers into ninth place but level on competition points with 20 with four other teams. The top eight teams make the playoffs.

Brisbane fullback Darius Boyd, standing in for suspended captain Corey Parker, set up two of his side's three first-half tries to lead the sixth-place Broncos to a 30-10 win over South Sydney following successive defeats.

"The signs were good tonight," veteran Broncos coach Wayne Bennett said. "We'll get a bit more confidence and next week we'll pick it up a bit again and hopefully have two or three weeks of good football and we'll be back."

Manly kept its slim finals hopes alive when Daly Cherry-Evans slotted a golden-point field goal to lift the Sea Eagles to a 15-14 win over the New Zealand Warriors. On Friday, the Gold Coast ran in six tries to beat St. George Illawarra 32-12.

North Queensland, Canterbury, Wests Tigers and Canberra had weekend byes.